Essential to a prosperous economic environment for all business, small and large—­for agriculture and industry and commerce-is efficiency in Government.  To that end, exhaustive studies of the entire governmental structure were made by the Commission on Intergovernmental Relations and the Commission on the Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government—­the reports of these Commissions are now under intensive review and already in the process of implementation in important areas.

One specific and most vital governmental function merits study and action by the Congress.  As part of our program of promoting efficiency in Government and getting the fiscal situation in hand, the Post Office Department in the past three years has been overhauled.  Nearly one thousand new post offices have been provided.  Financial practices have been modernized, and transportation and operating methods are being constantly improved.  A new wage and incentive plan for the half million postal employees has been established.  Never before has the postal system handled so much mail so quickly and so economically.

The Post Office Department faces two serious problems.  First, much of its physical plant—­post offices and other buildings-is obsolete and inadequate.  Many new buildings and the modernization of present ones are essential if we are to have improved mail service.  The second problem is the Department’s fiscal plight.  It now faces an annual deficit of one-half billion dollars.

Recommendations on postal facilities and on additional postal revenues will be submitted to the Congress.

A final consideration in our program planning is: 

THE RESPONSE TO HUMAN CONCERNS

A fundamental belief shines forth in this Republic.  We believe in the worth and dignity of the individual.  We know that if we are to govern ourselves wisely—­in the tradition of America—­we must have the opportunity to develop our individual capacities to the utmost.

To fulfill the individual’s aspirations in the American way of life, good education is fundamental.  Good education is the outgrowth of good homes, good communities, good churches, and good schools.  Today our schools face pressing problems—­problems which will not yield to swift and easy solutions, or to any single action.  They will yield only to a continuing, active, formed effort by the people toward achieving better schools.

This kind of effort has been spurred by the thousands of conferences held in recent months by half a million citizens and educators in all parts of the country, culminating in the White House Conference on Education.  In that Conference, some two thousand delegates, broadly representative of the nation, studied together the problems of the nation’s schools.

They concluded that the people of the United States must make a greater effort through their local, State, and Federal Governments to improve the education of our youth.  This expression from the people must now be translated into action at all levels of government.